Stacy, text anxiety is normal and another focus area to consider is to monitor for different learning disorders. If you mix up your testing methodology so offer more than just paper tests then you can also measure if different assessment tools bring out the knowledge level of different students in different ways.
James Jackson
Many of my students have one form or another of Test Anxiety. I have found that when we do a practice test the day before or even go over the contents of the exam, I get much better results from my students and far fewer meltdowns.
This is something I also do. I reinforce the information from previous lecture by giving a quiz on it the follow day. It allows me to see how much information they are retaining.
jerome, thanks for sharing. What other ways do you make use of assessments such as quizzes, tests or exams? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Carmen, thanks for sharing. Assessments do have their place but used as a tool to threaten is not one. Can you share some of the techniques you have used to get students more engaged within your classroom? The more we share with each other the better we can all learn from each other.
James Jackson
I agree I have always used quizzes as a way to gauge where the student stands in there understanding of the material. Much like the course suggests I usually drop the lowest quiz grade,
I feel that using a quiz as a threat for discipline control is inappropriate for the simple fact that it somewhat comes across as a blackmail/bribery technique. The named techniques are both negative influences and will produce a negative results, as well as in a sense, illegal, and immoral to use in order to improve students' behaviors, learning techniques, classroom etiquette, etc.
Frank, one technique that has worked well for me over the years is to make sure to discuss assessments with students on the first day of class. I get them to discuss the purpose of assessments and ask them to discuss alternative methods of measurement and adjustment as part of the curriculum. In the end it is my role to guide the instruction but not have students over think the overall process. Ultimately students come to the conclusion that assessments are necessary and even come to look forward to them as a means of knowing what they need to focus on in order to walk away from the class with the knowledge they need to be successful in future courses.
James Jackson
Natarsha, well stated. Assessments are also an evaluation of an instructor. If the majority of students are not able to understand or retain important concepts then the curriculum and/or the instructor may be as much to blame as the students. This brings forward another important topic, how do instructors measure their own success? I am very interested in any feedback anyone cares to provide.
James Jackson
Susanne, thanks for sharing. Assessment tools can be very valuable but they need to be an assertive part of the overall learning process and curriculum. When used simply as a control technique it tends to backfire and cause more harm than good. I am interested in hearing from anyone interested in this topic.
James Jackson
Cecilyn, what type of review are you doing to reinforce what students miss on the daily quizzes? If your quizzes are part of the learning process then they can be very effective. Just implementing a quiz and not having any type of follow-up or review can be detrimental to the student's overall understanding of the course materials.
James Jackson
Students can become so anxious during a test that they give up and refuse to finish. Using the threat of a quiz will only make their anxiousness go up and cause resentment.
This will decrease learning and the ability of a student to want to proceed.
As educators, we know that making threats is not going to help anyone. Preparing students for the exam is most important as it is empowering to students. What we tend to find is that most students who have a fear of testing have not had thet opportunity to feel secure in the education as well as the material they have learned. Pre-testing is helpful as well as the announcement that the lowest grade will be dropped helps a lot. Some students we encounter, who are good in all areas except fail the test, just have a barrier that can only be overcome through positive approaches such as letting them take the test orally in the office alone. I have been amazed at the number of students this has helped. As well, the process of using study guides has been extremely helpful to our student.
In my thirty years as a teacher, the most difficulty issue for me is getting a student to stop fearing quiz/Test. I have taught in military schools and technical colleges and I have yet to figure out how some students gain this fear of taking a quiz or exam. During my introduction to my course I explain the purpose of quizzes and exam to the students. I explain that the quizzes are learning tools and study aid for them and the exams are ways for me to judge their progress in learning the material. I think that teaches who use these as punishment only feed the students fears of them. I have found that the more the students focus on their grades the less that they learn.
It is never appropriate to use quizzes or tests as a form f discipline. Quizzes and tests are to guage where your class is in reference to learning and retaining the material that is taught them.
Hi James,
This is an interesting discussion! I did not use test/quizzes as a discipline control technique. I have seen this practice when monitoring peer faculty members classes. In my opinion, it is not an effective tool and the information learned by the student is short term. In my classes, I see the fear factor is directed related to student's self confidence.
Susanne
Quizzes are a good way of letting a student know whether or not he/she is retaining the information. I give a short quiz everyday of class over the material lectured on the day before. I've found this to be really effective in regards to students knowing if they are on track and what material they need to study more.
Students can often resent this and think of the test as punishment.
I agree that the fear factory is insecurity that the student is going to know the material well enough to pass the exam. It is always enjoyable to see a student pass with a good grade and motivate them to continue to learn and do well in the course.
First of all a quiz/test should never be used as a means to discipline or control your students. Rather it should be used for means such as gauging where students are with the material and where more explanation or emphasis needs to be placed and to provide more opportunities for the students to enhance their grade and to reassure them that they are learning the material. As for the fear factor, every student (good or bad) will be nervous for that evaluation. Nobody likes to be tested because everyone is afraid of failure and not living up to their own or someone else's expectations. It is a natural part of life, but I think we as instructors can lessen the fear based on the support that we give leading up to a test or quiz.
